All over the world guitar players are making exciting new music that explores new techniques and defies categorization. All of this new guitar music is complemented by the guitars’ almost limitless capacity for variation in design. Unlike most other instruments, which have followed the same design parameters for decades, the modern guitar continues to evolve. We are constantly reviewing and refining the techniques employed to craft them, the materials used to build them, and the integration of the latest developments in related electronics.
Exploring these possibilities is what Godin is all about.
Our goal with each Godin guitar is to find the perfect balance between the finest traditions of guitar crafting and the new design concepts that we are developing. After twenty years of guitar building we still hand-finish the necks on every Godin guitar. In fact, from fretting to sanding, there is more handwork in our guitars than you would find in most custom shops. From the selection of the wood to the final adjustments on the finished instrument, each Godin guitar is designed and built by people who love guitars.
Enjoy!
About Godin Guitars
Godin started building guitars over twenty years ago in a village in Quebec Canada called La Patrie. The man that started it all is Robert Godin. He still owns the company and continues to design the vast majority of their guitars.
They are a Canadian company with their head office located in Montreal and they build their guitars in several different locations, five in Quebec and one in New Hampshire. That adds up to six factories spread out over about 1000 kilometers. So why not just have one giant guitar factory? Although there are some obvious inconveniences associated with spreading themselves out this much, the up-side is that their smaller operations promote a more intimate working environment which gets everybody more involved and this is reflected in the instruments themselves.
Godin guitars are assembled in our Richmond, Quebec and Berlin, New Hampshire factories. The necks and bodies are all made in our original location in La Patrie, Quebec.
They are also known for their other guitar brands which include their new electric line known as Richmond Guitars, as well as our acoustic brands which include: Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, LaPatrie and Art & Lutherie.
From the beginning the company has been more or less divided between their acoustic side their electric side. The electric side of the business was originally that of a parts supplier to other guitar companies. We built their necks and bodies. You might be amazed to find out how many different guitar brands are all being produced in the same handful of factories. They're not telling us because they want to divulge somebody's secrets but simply to let you know where we're coming from. In any case, what started out as some generic replacement necks and bodies soon evolved into a major business producing finished necks and bodies for many established U.S. guitar companies. The great thing about this is the tremendous experience that they gained building all of these instruments to their various specifications. The down side is that the sub-contracting business is a pain in the neck, so to speak, but more importantly it does not include the best part of building new guitars and that is: coming up with new designs and coaxing them through the process that begins with a sketch and ends with the music.
New Guitar Concepts
Unlike many other instruments that follow a fairly strict set of design parameters-such as most orchestral instruments-guitars truly lend themselves to variation in design. This capacity for variation manifests itself in two distinct ways, there is the purely visual variation such as, the lightning-bolt-shaped-pointy-headstock-you're-obviously-not-in-an-easy-listening-band guitar. In other words, guitars as fashion statements. Don't get us wrong, we are committed to high aesthetic values in all of our designs but what we find most compelling is the other type of variation inspired by the endless musical possibilities in guitar design. From designing a Nylon string guitar that can be played at stage volumes and feel comfortable to a primarily steel string player (Multiacs) to the creation of the multiple-voice instruments in our Signature Series, exploring new design possibilities is an integral part of what we do.
The Godin commitment to new guitar concepts is typified in the Glissentar which is so much of a variation on the standard guitar that it isn't even a guitar anymore and qualifies as a whole new instrument. The Glissentar project was not born out of a marketing meeting (i.e.) "Man, I bet if we built an eleven string fretless acoustic/electric we could sell a boatload of them." Instead the Glissentar was conceived because of the intriguing musical possibilities it promised and hearing some amazing Glissentar performances from musicians like Michel Cusson, Fareed Haque, and Sylvain Luc (to name a few) that deliver on that promise truly makes the exercise worthwhile.
I am a strong supporter of the Godin guitar line myself. I own four (4) different models including two (2) of their Multiacs. One ACS-SA Nylon in Black and one SA-Nylon Concert in Natural Finish. I absolutely love the way they play and their sound is second to none.
I can’t wait until I purchase the Roland GR-55 Guitar Synthesizer so I can play them through that device into an amplifier, then into my PA System. It will sound mystifying for sure. I remember how great Al Di Meola sounded when he played his at the concert we attended in Pennsylvania. WOW !
Well, enjoy the rest of your weekend and remember to enjoy the NFL football games on TV today unless you’re lucky enough to have season tickets to your hometown team. Don’t forget to give your kids a hug and kiss to show them that you love them.
Until next time, “Same Guitar Place; Same Guitar Channel . !”
Musician By Night . . .
IT TOOK 40 YEARS of Randall Smith's experience designing high-performance tube amps to get this much TONE under one roof and keep it easy to dial. More than a collection of amplifiers, the MARK FIVE™ is a living history of MESA's® contributions and a tribute to the evolution of electric guitar tone.
